Spectacle temple connection



Dec. 3, 1946. s. E. BOUCHARD SPECTACLE TEMPLE CONNECTION Filed June 28, 1945 SAMUEL EBOUCHARD v INVENTOR BY m M I ATTORNEY FIG.2 w

Patented Dec. 3, 1946 SPECTACLE TEllIPLE CONNECTION Samuel E. Bouchard, Brighton, N. Y., assignor to Bausch & Lomb Optical Company, Rochester, N. Y., a corporation of New York 7 Application June 2-8, 1945, Serial No. 602,079

3 Claims. (01. 88-53.)

This .invention relates toophthalmic mountings and more particularly it has reference to means for pivotally mounting temples thereon.

As is well-known, the temples are hingedly mounted at the temporal sides of the spectacles in order to permit the temples .to be folded down against the lenses when the spectacles arehot in use. When the spectacles are new, the relation of the parts is such that there i a slight frictional engagement between the temple joint and the adjacent parts. However, after the spectacles have been used for some time, .the frictional engagement disappears because of wear so that the temples swing freely about their hinge pivots and thereby produce the undesirable feature known in the art as drop temple. Although a great many attempts have been made to solve this problem in a satisfactory, efiicient, and simple manner, such attempts have failed for various reasons.

One of the objects of my invention is to overcome the above noted objections by providing an ophthalmic mounting embodying means for hingedly supporting a temple so that the joint of the latter will have ample frictional engagement with the adjacent parts of the mounting even after continued use of the mounting. Further objects are to provide an ophthalmic mounting which will be simple in structure, efficient in operation, and embody means for locking the temple screw and providing sliding frictional engagement between the temple joint and the screw. These and other objects and advantages reside in certain novel features of construction, arrangement, and combination of parts as well hereinafter be more fully described and pointed out in the appended claims.

Referring, to the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of an ophthalmic mounting embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view taken on line 2--2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a view showing the temple screw and washer in disassembled relation.

Fig. 4 is a view showing the washer, in section,

assembled on the screw.

A preferred embodiment of my invention is disclosed in the drawing wherein It indicates, generally, an ophthalmic mounting of the semirimless type having an endpiece II to which is secured a lens strap I2 and the rim member |3 which is adapted to extend along the rear surface of a lens, as is well-known in the art. The endpiece I is formed with the rearwardly extending integral, spaced upper ear l4 and lower ear l5. .The :upper ear lid is provided with the aperturerl 6 whiohis in alignment with the smaller threaded aperture. I in the lower ear, ,I 5. .The temple 18havingia flat joint l9 provided with an aperture 20, is positioned between the ears.

M and i5 so that all of the aperturesin the parts are in alignment. .The temple |8 is p-i-votally secured to the endpiece by means of the screw 2| which passesthrough the apertures and is in threaded engagement with the aperture in ear IS. The screw 2| has an enlarged'head 22 which is slightly smaller than the aperture It so that it may extend into the latter. f

In order to provide frictionalresistance on the. temple joint IS, a spring washer 23 .isjpositioned' between theupper face of. temple joint l9 and the under side of the screw head 22. As shown in Fig. 3, the spring washer has'a concave cylindrical form. The washer .23 is assembled on the screw 2| by slipping the threaded portion of the screw through the hole in the washer until the washer engages a reduced smooth portion 24 adjacent the screw head 22. Since the concave side of the washer is adjacent the under side of the screw head 22, the relatively sharp upper edge of the washer :23 will dig into the under side of the screw head 22 when the parts are assembled as shown in Fig. 2. In this relation, the convex or under side of the washer 23 is in sliding frictional engagement with the top face 'of the temple joint I9. The length of the screw 2| is such that when the parts are first assembled, the screw will project slightly beyond the outer surfaces of the ears I4 and I5. The end of th screw 2| will thus occupy a position shown, in exaggerated form, by means of the dotted line portion 25 on Fig. 2. Pressure is then applied between the two ends of the screw by a suitable plier or other means so that the threads of the end portion of the screw are slightly deformed and squeezed into locking engagement with the threads in the ear l5. Such slight deformation of the threads at the end of the screw is facilitated by forming a slight depression in the end of the screw as shown at 26.

From the foregoing description, it will be apparent that the screw 2| is held against rotation by the locking engagement of the adjacent threaded portions and since the upper edge of washer 23 digs into the under side of head 22,

there will be little, if any, turning of washer 23 when the temple |8 turns about its pivot. Consequently, the convex under side of the Washer 23 will always be in sliding frictional engagement with the upper face of the temple joint I9. I

have thereby provided an efiicient temple joint which will solve the drop temple problem in a simple, yet efiicient, manner. A mounting embodying my invention presents a neat appearance and it can be readily manufactured and assembled, as will be apparent from the foregoing description. Various modifications may obviously be made without departing from the spirit of my invention as pointed out in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In an ophthalmic mounting the combination of an endpiece having spaced ears provided with upper and lower aligned apertures,'a temple having an aperture, said temple mounted between said ears with all of the apertures in alignment, the aperture in the lower ear being threaded, the aperture in the upper ear beinglarger than that in the lower ear, a screw passed through the apertures and threaded into the lower aperture, means for locking the screw against unintential turning, said screwhaving an enlarged head which fits freely into the larger aperture, and .a concavely formed spring washer positioned on the screw and located between the head of the screw and the uppertf-ace of the temple joint, the concave side of the washer being adjacent the screw head, the uppermost parts of the edge of the washer being embedded in the screw head to thereby normally prevent turning of the washer, the convex side of the washer having sliding frictional engagement with the temple joint as the latter turns about the screw.

2. In an ophthalmic mounting, the combination of an endpiecehaving-spaced ears provided with upper and lower aligned apertures, a temple having an aperture, said temple mounted between said ears with all of the apertures in alignment, the aperture in the lower ear being threaded, the perture in the-upper ear being larger than that inthe lower .ear, a screw passed through the 4 apertures and threaded into the lower aperture, said screw having an enlarged head which fits freely into the larger aperture, and a concavely formed spring washer positioned on the screw and located between the head of the screw and the upper face of the temple joint, the concave side of the washer being adjacent the screw head, the uppermost partsjof theedge of the washer bein embedded in the screw head-to thereby normally prevent unintentional turning of the washer, the convex side of the washer having sliding frictional engagement with the temple joint as the latter turns about the screw, and means for locking the screw against unintentional turning comprising a formation on the threaded end of the screw resulting from the application of pressure to the the ears of the mounting.

3. In an ophthalmic mounting, the combination of an endpiece having spaced ears provided with upper and lower aligned apertures, a templehaving. an aperture, said temple mounted between said ears with all of the apertures in alignment, asecuring element passed through the apertures, said element having an enlarged head which fits freely into one of the apertures in the ears, means for locking the element in position to prevent unintentional turning thereof, and a concavely formed spring washer positioned on the element andlocated between the head of the element and a face of the temple joint, the concave side of the washer being adjacent the head of the element, the uppermostparts of the edge of the washer being embedded in the head of the element to thereby normally prevent unintentional 

